J Korean Soc Emerg Med.  2000 Sep;11(3):321-324.

Objective Criteria for Radiologic Diagnosis of Epiglottitis in Korean Adults

• Min YG
• Jung YS
• Yoon SK
• Park IC
• Cho JP

Abstract

BACKGROUNDs: A retrospective study was performed to define objective radiologic parameters in diagnosing epiglottitis on soft-tissue lateral neck radiographic study.
METHODS
Parameters of soft-tissue structures(epiglottis width, third vertebral body width, ratio of epiglottic width to third vertebral body width) in 30 adult patients compared with those of age and sex-matched controls with foreign body in throat whose radiographic reading was normal.
RESULTS
Epiglottis width of more than 11mm, ratio of epiglottis width(EW) to the third vertebral body width(C3W) of more than 0.5 were, respectively, found to be 100% sensitive and specific in differentiating between patients with and without epiglottitis.
CONCLUSION
These preliminary results suggest that EW/C3W ratio of more than 0.5, EW of more than 11mm, respectively, may be useful in the diagnosis of epiglottitis in adult patients.

MeSH Terms

Adult*
Diagnosis*
Epiglottis
Epiglottitis*
Foreign Bodies
Humans
Neck
Pharynx
Retrospective Studies